Due to a rare genetic defect, she had to undergo a kidney-liver transplant surgery, recently this year in Pune. Meena Joshi (name changed), a 31-year-old was suffering from this disease since childhood, and it ultimately led to kidney failure. After the diagnosis of the condition, doctors had asked her to undergo simultaneous kidney-liver transplant.

Fed up by the weekly dialysis which she had to undergo and the uncertainty about what time will it take to get her organs, the husband and in-laws asked for her for a divorce.

Meena used to have recurrent kidney stones since childhood, but the diagnosis took around 25 years for her to understand that she suffered from a rare genetic disorder.

Today, Meena, is a divorcee, as her husband and in-laws began to view her as a burden once she began kidney dialysis for her condition, just a year after being newly married. As her husband’s family began to view her a liability.

Dr Abhay Sadre, a nephrologist from Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, said, “She had a rare genetic defect in liver leading to high oxalate formation resulting in kidney failure. In this disease, liver is at fault therefore patient requires simultaneous kidney-liver transplant.”

Dr Samiksha Joshi, (name changed) sister of Meena, said, “Recently, since the last one year, she had to undergo dialysis thrice every week. Her in-laws and husband wanted us to give them guarantee on how much time will she take to get cure. We could not guarantee on how long it will take for her to get the organs as she was wait-listed. They were also fed up by her frequent hospitalisation. Her husband, then asked for a divorce.”

“Any disease takes time to get cured. What is important is the support provided to such a patient and patience of family members. Today, she is living a healthy life and will soon start working,” she added.

Dr Sadre further stated, “In majority of the cases, it is wife who gives kidney to husband, but the cases where it happens the other way around are very few. Society thinks that women who have kidney or liver failure are of no use. But this is a very unfortunate thing. Procedures like transplants offer a good life and patient should be given extra care and love by family members.”